Eyeglass-reel.



H. B. BINGHAM.

EYEGLASS REEL.

APPLIOATION FILED 'AUG. 3, 1911.

1,024, 1 1 5. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

24 39 a? \ZZ witnesses COLUMIIA PLANOORAPH C0., WASHINOTOEI. D. C- v iuvrrnn siia'rns ,Pa'rnn'r oration.

HERBERT B. BINGI-IAM, OF NASI-IUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

EYEGLASS-REEL.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT B. BING- HAM, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Nashua, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Eyeglass-Reels, of which the following .is a specification.

This invention relates to an eyeglass reel, the object of the invention being to provide a reel which may be attached to the clothing and hold the eyeglasses in a convenient position for use.

The object of the invention is further to provide a reel in which a cord, chain or other flexible member attached to the eyeglass may be wound up inside the casing of the reel in compact form and which is so constructed that any desired length of the flexible member or cord may be withdrawn from the casing and the rotatable member upon which the cord is wound may then be locked against rotation, so that there will be no pull upon the eyeglass by the cord.

Further the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth in which, while the rotatable member upon which the cord is wound wlthin the casing is firmly locked against rotation, still the same may be readily caused to rotate by pulling the cord in one direction and then releasing the same, whereupon the cord will be wound quickly and compactly upon the rotatable member or spool which is mounted within the casing of the reel.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation partly broken away and shown in section illustrating my invention on a very much enlarged scale. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow on said line. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow on said line. Y

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings. f

In the drawings, '5 is a casing consisting of a front 6 and a back 7, the front 6 having an annular flange 8 thereon which fits upon the periphery of an annular flange 9 provided on the back 7. A. pin 10 is pivoted at 11 to the back 7 and is provided with a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 3, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Serial N0. 642,146.

guard 12, said pin being utilized to fasten the reel to the clothing of the user. An arher 13 is fastened by a screw 14 to the back 7. This arbor is provided with an annular flange 15 upon which is rotatably mounted a spool 16, said spool consisting of a disk 17 with a U-shaped annular flange 18 on its periphery. The disk 17 being connected to the U-shaped flange 18 intermediate the sides 19 and 20 of said flange provides an annular chamber 21 at one side of the disk 17 and another annular chamber 22 at the opposite side of said disk inside the U- shaped flange. In the annular chamber 21 is located a spiral spring 23, the outer end thereof being fastened to the spool 16, the other end thereof being fastened to a sleeve 24 which is fastened to the arbor 13 and forms, in effect, a portion thereof. That portion of the arbor upon which the sleeve is mounted and which projects through the back of the casing is preferably square in cross section and that part upon which the spool 16 is mounted is cylindrical, while another portion, 25, of said arbor which projects toward the front 6 from the disk 17 is preferably rectangular, and upon this portion 25 is fastened an arm 26 which projects radially from the arbor, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, and has pivoted thereto at its outer end at 27 a pawl 28. One end 29 of the pawl 28 is decidedly heavier than the other end 30 of said pawl, and the light end 30 of said pawl is located adjacent to the path of travel of a recess 31 provided in the flange 18, so that as the spool is rotated slowly in the direction of the arrow thereon in Fig. 1, the light end 30 of the pawl will be caused by the heavy end 29 to drop into said recess 31 and lock the spool against rotation in the direction of the arrow thereon.

A cord or chain 32 is fastened at one end thereof to the spool 16 and is wound up within the U-shaped flange 18, said cord extending from the spool outwardly through a hole 33 in the casing.

The general operation of the device hereinbefore specifically described is as follows: The eyeglass reel is pinned to the garment of the user by the pin 10 and said pin 10 is placed in a substantially vertical position, so that the heavy end of the pawl 28 may be operated to lock the reel by moving the light end 30 of the pawl into the recess 31, as illustrated in Fig. l. The cord 32 is fastened at its outer end to the eyeglass. When it is desired to use the glasses, the cord 32 is pulled downwardly in the direction of the arrow a (Fig. 1). This causes the reel to rotate in the opposite direction to the arrow 1) (Fig. 1), and as the spool rotates and the recess 31 passes by the light end 30 of the pawl, it gives it a slight movement downwardly, while the heavy end 29 moves outwardly from the center of the reel or toward the right (Fig. 1). Being located within the chamber 22, the pawl cannot be thrown out to any great distance, as the heavy end will strike the inner edge of the U-shaped flange constituting an outer wall of the chamber 22 and thus prevent said pawl from being displaced to any great extent. When enough cord has been withdrawn from the reel to suit the convenience of the user, the cord 32 is allowed to move backwardly in the opposite direction to the arrow a while the spool 16 moves in the direction of the arrow I), being moved in that direction by the spring 23. The spool is allowed to rotate slowly in the direction of the arrow 6, so that the weighted end of the pawl 28 may have sufficient time to cause the light end 30 to enter the recess 3l-and lock the spool against further rotation. If, on the other hand, it is desired to coil up the cord which has been withdrawn from the casing and from the spool when the user has finished using the glasses and wishes to have them drawn up close to the casing of the eyeglass reel, the user allows the cord to move rapidly and thus allows the reel to move with such rapidity that the weighted end 29 of the pawl 28 does not have suflicient time to cause the light end 30 to enter the recess 31 until the cord is wound up on the spool. The latter part of the winding up of the cord on the spool may be retarded by the user in order to allow the light end of the pawl to enter the recess 31, or, if desired, the cord may be allowed to be wound up rapidly on the spool, and the eyeglass, where it is fastened to the cord 32, abutting against the casing 6 will prevent further rotation of the spool.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. An eyeglass reel having, in combination, a casing, a spring-actuated spool rotatably mounted within said casing and having a recess therein and a pawl within said casing pivoted to a stationary member, one

end of said pawl being heavier than the other end thereof, said other end being adjacent to the path of travel of said recess, whereby said other end may be caused to project into said recess and lock said spool against rotation in one direction.

2. An eyeglass reel having, in combination, a casing, an arbor fast to said casing, a spring-actuated spool rotatably mounted on said arbor and having a recess therein, an arm fast to said arbor, a pawl pivoted to said arm, one end of said pawl being heavier than the other end thereof, said other end being adjacent to the path of travel of said' recess, whereby said other end may be caused to project into said recess and lock said spool against rotation in one direction.

3. An eyeglass reel having, in combination, a casing consisting of a front and a back detachably fastened together, an arbor fast to said back, a spring-actuated spool rotatably mounted on said arbor, said spool having an annular flange thereon with a recess in its inner face, an arm fast to said arbor, a pawl pivoted to said arm, one end of said pawl being heavier than the other end thereof, said other end being adjacent to the path of travel of said recess, whereby said other end may be caused to project into said recess and lock said spool against rotation in one direction.

4. An eyeglass reel having, in combination, a casing, an arbor fast to said casing, a spool rotatably mounted upon said arbor, said spool consisting of a disk with a U- shaped flange" on its periphery, a flexible member fast to said spool within said U- shaped flange and projecting through said casing, a spring located inside said U-shaped flange, one end fast to said spool the other to said arbor, an arm fast to said arbor and a pawl pivoted to said arm, one end of said pawl being heavier than the other end thereof, said other end being adjacent to the path of travel of a recess provided in said flange, whereby said other end may be caused to project into said recess and lock said spool against rotation in one direction. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT B. BINGHAM. Vitnesses FRANK E. SPRAGUE, HERBERT E; KENDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

